What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

What is the difference between oath and swear?

oath | swear |

As nouns the difference between oath and swear

is that oath is a solemn pledge or promise to a god, king, or another person, to attest to the truth of a statement or contract while swear is a swearword.

As verbs the difference between oath and swear

is that oath is to pledge while swear is to take an oath.

As an adjective swear is

heavy.

oath

English

(wikipedia oath)

Noun

(en noun)
  • A solemn pledge or promise to a god, king, or another person, to attest to the truth of a statement or contract
  • * 1924 , Aristotle, Metaphysics , Translated by W. D. Ross. Nashotah, Wisconsin, USA: The Classical Library, 2001. Available at: . Book 1, Part 3.
    • for they made Ocean and Tethys the parents of creation, and described the oath of the gods as being by water,
  • The affirmed statement or promise accepted as equivalent to an oath .
  • A light or insulting use of a solemn pledge or promise to a god, king or another person, to attest to the truth of a statement or contract the name of a deity in a profanity, as in swearing oaths .
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-14, author= Sam Leith
    • , volume=189, issue=1, page=37, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= Where the profound meets the profane , passage=Swearing doesn't just mean what we now understand by "dirty words". It is entwined, in social and linguistic history, with the other sort of swearing: vows and oaths'. Consider for a moment the origins of almost any word we have for bad language – "profanity", "curses", "' oaths " and "swearing" itself.}}
  • A curse.
  • (legal) An affirmation of the truth of a statement.

    • Synonyms

  • pledge, vow, avowal

    • Derived terms

    * oathbound * oathbreaker * oathless * under oath

    Related terms

    * bloody oath (Australian slang) * fucking oath (Australian slang)

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (archaic) to pledge
  • shouting out (as in 'oathing obsenities')

    • External links

    * (wikipedia "oath")

    Anagrams

    * (l)

    swear

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) sweren, swerien, from (etyl) through Proto-Indo-European.

    Verb

  • To take an oath.
  • *
  • *:The Bat—they called him the Bat.. He'd never been in stir, the bulls had never mugged him, he didn't run with a mob, he played a lone hand, and fenced his stuff so that even the fence couldn't swear he knew his face.
  • (lb) To use offensive language.
    • Synonyms
    * See also
    Usage notes
    * In sense 1, this is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive . See
    Synonyms
    * See also
    Derived terms
    * swear by * swear like a trooper * swear on a stack of Bibles * swear out * swear to God * swear word

    Etymology 2

    From the above verb, or from (etyl) sware, from (etyl) swaru, from (etyl) .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A swearword.

    • Etymology 3

    From (etyl) swer, swar, from (etyl) .

    Alternative forms

    * (l), (l), (l)

    Adjective

    (en-adj)
  • Heavy.
  • Top-heavy; too high.
  • Dull; heavy; lazy; slow; reluctant; unwilling.
  • Niggardly.
  • A lazy time; a short rest during working hours (especially field labour); a siesta.
    • Derived terms
    * (l) * (l) * (l)

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To be lazy; rest for a short while during working hours.

    • Anagrams

    * English irregular verbs English reporting verbs